1. Travel… I don't travel as much as some, but being on
the road about once a month and taking about 10 plane trips a year, you learn a
few things.
a. If you travel often enough…
You may miss a flight
because of weather, mechanical trouble, being at the wrong gate or being on the
wrong time zone, or all of the above. :-)
b. If you travel often enough
you may have both wheels on your largest suitcase disintegrate in the middle of
the Denver airport.
c.
If you travel often enough you’ll discover that the TSA Pre
Check is beautiful thing, no really, a beautiful thing!
d. If you travel often enough
you’ll discover that consistency and routine are good things.
e.
If you travel often enough you’ll discover that all airports
have the same things, but they put them all in different places!
2. Every time you
give someone an exemption, YOU become a part of that exemption. RFK is a lot
like a franchise model. We train
churches to follow our policies, procedures and practices, and if they do, they
will be able to run a successful camp or club.
As such, we are occasionally asked to make exemptions to these policies,
procedures, and practices. I have
discovered that every time you give someone an exemption, YOU become of part of
the management and accountability of that exemption.
3. Donations are difficult. Donor relationships are wonderful. I could say a lot more about this, but you
really have to experience it.
4. Writing is not easy for me; it is laborious
and challenging. Writing a document that
is seen by hundreds of people (whether it’s a manual or a newsletter) requires that
I clarify my thoughts and condense my words.
It also allows me to impact and influence people on a far greater scale.
My mother described her goals for her
writing to “uplift, educate, encourage and make each day better.” I’m trying to
use my writing to meet these same goals, but it’s not easy. When you write a quarterly newsletter, it’s
amazing how fast the next quarter comes around!!!
5. Travel can be expensive, time consuming, and
exhausting. But, people are unbelievably appreciative when you come
to see them in their part of the world. Something special happens when you are face to
face, when you share a meal, and when you can talk about the things that would
never come up while on a phone call or in an email. If
you travel often enough, you’ll meet incredible people, make new friends,
experience God’s provisions and blessings and experience that it really is a
great big world, and a small world too!
6. Passionate volunteers are contagious. Being around volunteers who are operating in
their passion is an incredible experience.
It’s exciting to discover people who have fallen in love with serving
wonderful kids from hard places. I often
ask people from Omaha, Madison, Waxahachie,
Sioux Falls, and Midland why they volunteer.
They usually have a noble reason for volunteering the first time. Then
they describe how they are drawn to the hardest week of their year because of
the incredible feeling they receive from investing in the challenging lives of incredible
kids who need opportunities to experience safety, fun, love, hope, and God.
7. Working for a non-profit teaches you things
that you may not learn working in a for-profit or larger organization.
o
You have to learn do a lot with a little.
o
Network like never before.
o
Tell your
story and the story of the
organization really well and often.
o
Don't be boastful, but be willing to tell people
about the passion, the purpose, and the accomplishments of the organization.
o
Not everyone gets it.
o
Not everyone gets YOU. And it’s okay.
o
The smaller we are at the office, the more
important every employee is to the success of our mission. We have some great, hard working, dedicated
employees who work well beyond their paycheck.
8. Speaking is a powerful medium. No matter how good you are at speaking, you
can get better. The shorter amount of
time you are given to speak, the more time it takes to prepare and still be
able to say something powerful and purposeful.
No matter how good you get, you can still mess up. No matter how you mess up, God can redeem it
all.
9. A donor list is a study in amazement. Sometimes I read my donor list and write
notes, or send emails, or just verify who gave on a given month. Sometimes, I sit in amazement and read over
the names of people who would give their hard earned dollars to us. We now have some donors who have given for 10
years!!! That amazes me. Janet and I are
truly blessed and we are amazed that we have such wonderful family and friends
who have invested in us and in the ministry.
Thank you, you are amazing and may God richly bless you.
10. God is Sovereign. Through the good times and the struggles,
with family and work, in church, at the office and at home. He is in control. Sometimes things seem dark, but He is always
the light. Sometimes things are unknown,
but He always has an answer. Sometimes it
does not make sense to our human minds, but it will all make sense some day in heaven. God is Sovereign and He is not surprised by
anything.
I’m sure I left out some important things. But as I mentioned in point #4, writing is
actually difficult for me and I have other things to do right now. Until the next 10 years.
Our first visit to Big Bear Lake.
Our most recent visit to Big Bear Lake
